Construction for internal-combustion engines



Nov. 6 1923. 1,472,899

R. s. BLAIR CONSTRUCTION FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed May 9, 1919 lllll M NVENTOR Fatented- Nov. 6, 1923.

ROBERT S. BLAIR, OF SOUNIb BEACH, CONNECTICUT.

cousrauo'rrouron Iu'rEmma-coinnus/nonnuan-v I j Application filed May 9, 1919. semi No. 295,874..

To allwhom it may 00mm:

Be it known that I, RonnR'r S. BLAIR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Sound Beach, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Constructions for Internal-Combustion Engines,

of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to internal combustion. engines and with regard to its more specific features, to accessories therefor.

One of the objects is to provide a fuelfeatures of construction, combinations of ele-' ments and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings wherein are shown one or more of various possible embodiments of the several features of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view of an engine with my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of a modified form of my invention, shown apart from the engine, and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentar plan view on an enlarged scale of the, pre erred mounting of fuel conduit employed. 7

Similar I reference characters refer to similar arts throughout-the different views of the rawings.

Referring now to Fig. 1 of these drawings, there is shown an internal combustion engine 1, having an intake manifold 2, and an ex-- haust manifold 3. Associated with this engine is any desired form of carburettor 4., having preferably a float chamber 5 and a mixing chamber 6 of any desired construction. The mixing chamber 6 is preferably connected by a flexible conduit 7 to feed the explosive mixture to the intake manifold 2. The conduit preferably has one or more turns encircling the exhaust manifold 3, as

' at 8, for purposes of vheatin the mixture y conduit is 7 while the engine is running. preferably composed of flexible tubing.

It may briefly be noted, that the tubing is made of a single channel shaped ribbon of metal, which is helically wound as at 10, and

has "contiguous surfaces of the successive convolutions joined together preferably by bending and interlocking as shown at 11. This construction thus has a continuous hollow helical vane 12, communicating with the interior of the tube, and a continuous helical groove 13 on the exterior of the tube, complementin the vane 12.

Encircling t e portion of tube-7, adjacentthe carburettor, I provide an insulated electric heating coil 14, having its convolutions lodged in the helical grove 13. This heating coil is preferably-connected by switches 15 and 15 to astorage battery 16. Encircling the part of the conduit 7, embraced by heating coil 14, 1 preferably provide a sleeve 17 of heat insulating material. Assuming the weather to be cold,'with difficulty of starting the engine usually encountered, the operation proceeds substantially as follows:

Switch 15 is elosed and the an in is cranked, either by hand, or prefera ly by. an automatic starter driven from motor 16".

The mixture being drawn into the conduit I 7 from the carburetor, it is heated by reason ofenergization of coil 14,- which im arts its heat to the lower end of the conduit 7, and thence to themixture.

In view of the fact that the surface of the conduit partially embraces each individual turn of r the heating coil, and in view ofthe heat insulating covering 17 substantially all of the heat generated in coil 14, is imparted to the m xture. The hollow vane of the conduit, as is apparent, impartsa whirl to the mixture as it passes through the'conuniform distribution of heat through I is preferably constructed of the same form of tubing as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and preferably leads to the intake manifold of the engine in a manner similar to Fig. 1, (not shown in Fig. 2). If desired, I may provide the carburetor and the adjacent portion of conduit 7 with a heat insulating enclosure, as shown at 27.

Encircling the conduit 7', I preferably providea conducting ring 18, and I prefer.- ably connect said ring through a switch 15 to a storage battery 16', one of theterminals of which is preferably ground as at 19. The storage battery is preferably of the type employed in starting and lighting systems on motor vehicles. The conduit 7 is preferably interrupted on the side of ring 18, remote from the carburetor, and the segments of said conduit are connected together by a gas-tight electric insulating union 20.

Electrically connected by one terminal 24, with the float chamber 5, I preferably provide a starting motor 21, having a series. field 22, grounded as at 23. 'Conductor 25 is also provided to connect the ring 18 with the terminal 24, said conductor including a manually operable switch 26,

In operation, assuming ignition and other preliminary adjustments to be made, the operator closes switch 15. A circuit is thereupon closed from the battery 16', through the switch 15, to the-ring 18', through the metallic conduit'7', through the casing of the mixing chamber and the float chamber, through the starting motor 21 and its field 22, and through ground or a metallic structure of the engine or vehicle back to the grounded terminal 19 of the battery. The

, resistance of the circuit just described being relatively low, the current will be relatively high, bringing about a considerable heating efiectin the conduit portion 7', below the union 20 and in the carburetor casing. This heat is imparted to the fuel and mixture. The fuel and air will be thoroughly mixed and the heat substantially uniformly distributed therethrough, by reason of the conduit construction in a manner substantially identical to that described in connection with Fig. 1 above. After the motor 21 has cranked the engine, and the same runs under its own power, switch 15', may be opened,

thus simultaneously disconnecting the battery 16' from the carburetor and from the motor.

. In the summer time when preheating of the mixture is ordinarily unnecessary, switch 26 may be closed, thus cutting conduit 7 and the carburetor out of the elec tric, circuit, current being ledwdirect from ring 18, through conductor 25 to the terminal 24 of the starting motor 21.

The loop or coil of the conduit formed at 8 is clamped together at its ends as by a device 28. This device comprises apair of jaws 29 and 30 respectively provided with flanges 31 and 32 connected as by the bolt 33. This anchors the ends of the loop or coil one to another, and prevents relative movement at such fixed points. The coil being thus tightly wound about the exhaust manifold when the parts are cold, will quickly absorb heat from the latter; but if it become excessively hot, its expansion will cause it to recede at its inner surface from the outer surface of the exhaust conduit and thus automatically regulate its own temperature.

It is to be especiallynoted that in theuse 'of this apparatus not only may the gas or vapor be readily heated but the large corrugations or pockets impart to the gas traveling therein a whirling motion which greatly improves the mixture of the gas and air and presents other advantages.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set fortlr or-shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. In fuel-treating apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, an engine, a carburetor, and a conduit adapted to lead fuel from said carbureter to said engine and provided with inwardly projectmg parts adapted to cause turbulence in the fuel assin therethrough,

2. ln fuel-treating apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, an engine, a carbureter, and a conduit adapted to lead fuel from said carburetor to said engine and provided with inwardly projecting parts adapted to cause turbulence in the fuel passing therethrough, said parts being inclined with respect to the axis of the conduit.

3. In fuel-treating apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination. a conduit positioned to lead fuel from a carburetor to an internal combustion engine and having its walls corrugated transversely to the direction of passage of fuel therethrough.

1. In fuel-treating apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, an engine, acarbureter and a flexible metallic conduit interposed between said ca-rbureter and said engine.

5. In fuel-treating apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, an engine, means adapted tostart said engine, and means adapted simultaneously to actuate said starting means and to heat the fuel for said engine.

6. In fuel-treating apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, a metallic conduit adapted to lead fuel to an internal combustion engine, and having its external surface grooved and a heating conductor positioned within said grooves.

. 7 In fuel-treating apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, an internal combustion engine, means adapted to lead fuel to said engine, means adapted to heat said fuel and means adapted automatically to lessen the heating efiect thereof upon its heat becoming excessive.

8. In fuel-treating apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, an engine having an exhaust conduit, a carbureter and a flexible conduit leading from said carbureter to said engine, and passing about and substantially encircling said exhaust conduit in thermal relation thereto to derive heat therefrom.

9. In fuel-treating apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, an engine having an exhaust conduit, a carbureter, a flexible conduit leading from said carbureter tosaid engine, and passing about said exhaust conduit, and means holding in position certain portions of said flexible conduit to permit it to expand away from said exhaust conduit upon its heat becoming excessive.

10. In fuel-treating apparatus for inter nal combustion engines, in combination, an-

engine, means adapted to lead fuel supplied to said engine by heat taken from said engine, and means adapted automatically to reduce said heat effect upon its becoming excessive,

11. In fuel-treating apparatus-for internal combustion engines, in combination, an internal combustion engine, means adapted to lead gaseous fuel to said engine, means adapted to heat the fuel passing to said engine, and thermostatic means exposed to the fuel and tending to lessen the heating upon its becoming excessive.

12. In fuel-treating apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, an internal combustionengine, means adapted to lead gaseous fuel to said engine, means adapted to heat the fuel passing to the engine by heat from the engine, and thermostatic means adapted to control the heating efiect of said last means.

13. In fuel-treating apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, an internal combustion engine, a starting motor for said engine, an electrically actuated heating device operatively related to the fuel supply of said engine, a source of current, and a device adapted to connect said starting motor and said heating device with said source of current.

14. In fuel-treating apparatus for internal combustion engines, in combination, an internal combustion engine, a carburetor, a metallic conduit having corrugated walls leading from said carburetor to said engine and adapted by its internal corrugations to tend to cause turbulence in the fuel passing therethrough, and an electric heating conductor positioned within and insulated from the grooves formed by the external corrugations.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 8th day of May A. D. 1919.

ROBERT S. BLAIR. 

